-- The Institute for Supply Management's US services index declined to a reading of 53.6 in April from 54.0 in March, compared with expectations for a smaller decrease to a reading of 53.7 in a survey compiled by Bloomberg.
There were mixed readings for other regional Federal Reserve bank measures already released while the S&P Global measure indicated expansion.
There were increases in the readings for production and employment, but new orders and inventories declined. The prices paid reading held steady.
The monthly national services reading from the Institute for Supply Management is reported as a headline index, with readings above 50 indicating expansion and those below 50 indicating contraction. Component indexes measure new orders, production, employment, and prices.
An increase in the index further above 50 is considered a sign of a strong US services sector and would be a positive for service-sector stocks. Rising prices would normally be a negative for both stocks and bonds.